Dawn's Awakening
by CrystalSnow7842
Summary: Lichentail is a young Thunderclan warrior eager to serve her Clan, but when another cat does an injustice to her, she flees from the only home she's ever known. Once she retakes control of her life, she discovers she has a great destiny to fulfill.
1. Allegences

**Allegiences (only improtant characters)**

**ThunderClan**  
Leader: Sapstar (dark brown tom with gold mottling)  
Deputy: Redwing (dark red tabby tom)  
Medicine Cat: Deerpelt (light brown she-cat)  
Apprentice, Rosefall (pinkish-orange she-cat)

Warriors

Lichentail (pale gray she-cat with dark gray ears and tail)  
Flarepelt (white she-cat with ginger patches)  
Shadefire (black tom with a ginger chest marking)  
Lightstripe (light brown tabby tom)  
Sunstorm (mottled ginger tom)  
Apprentice, Sleetpaw  
Swifthawk (large pale brown tabby tom)  
Apprentice, Burningpaw  
Foggyheart (gray and white tom)  
Icefeather (gray and white she cat)  
Stonestorm (large, sturdy dark gray tom)  
Silverlily (pale gray she-cat)  
Batfang (very dark brown tom)  
Duskfeather (pale ginger she-cat)

Apprentices

Sleetpaw (white she-cat)  
Burningpaw (orangey-brown tabby tom)

Queens

Heatherbreeze (long haired light brown she-cat)  
Mother to: Gorsekit (golden brown she-kit), and Jumpkit (ginger tabby tom)

Elders

Amberclaw- dark ginger tabby tom  
Oakflower- long haired dark red she-cat

**RiverClan**

Leader: Coldstar (dark gray tom)  
Deputy: Splitgaze (black she-cat with a green eye and a blue eye)  
Medicine cat: Fernlight (light brown tabby she-cat with green eyes)  
Apprentice, Pebblepaw (mottled gray she-cat)

**WindClan**

Leader: Olivestar (wiry golden brown tom)  
Deputy: Slickpelt (sleek gray tom)  
Medicine cat: Smallberry (very small dark brown tabby she-cat)

Warriors:

Foxflash (dark red tom)  
Badgerfang (huge black and white tom)

**ShadowClan**  
Leader: Scorchstar (dark ginger tom)  
Deputy: Flamewing (ginger she-cat)  
Medicine Cat: Quietsnow (white she-cat)


	2. Chapter 1

Lichentail crept silently through the grass, breathing in the heavy scent of mouse. Just ahead, she could see the tiny critter munching away on a seed, with its back turned to her. She gathered strength in her legs, sprang, and trapped the mouse under her paw. The stunned creature lay still long enough for her to kill it with a quick bite to the neck.

"Nice catch, Lichentail!" Flarepelt, a white she-cat with ginger patches, called to her. Her coat gleamed like snow and fire in the bright sunlight.

"Thanks!" Lichentail called back. She picked up the mouse and bounded over to the spot where the hunting patrol was burying their caught prey. She buried it just between a freshly caught sparrow and a robin, and then hurried off to find more. The air felt cool after the recent rain, and sparkling dew drops sprayed up from her paws as she ran. Suddenly, she skidded to a halt and gasped as she saw a black cat with an orange mark on his chest walking up to her, dragging a huge, limp hawk.

"You caught a hawk?" she exclaimed. The thing was nearly as big as a cat!

"Swifthawk and I did," he said.

"Well, you spotted it, I killed it." A large light brown tom came strutting proudly out from the bushes.

"That was so cool!" squeaked Swifthawk's apprentice, Burningpaw, jumping out after him. "It's even bigger than the one that tried to carry off Heatherbreeze's kits!"

Swifthawk hissed and cuffed his apprentice over the head so hard he fell over. "That's not funny," he growled. "Those kits are my younger siblings, remember?"

"I wasn't laughing about it!" Burningpaw mumbled into the dirt. He lifted his head. "It was really cool when you and Lightstripe fought it off."

"When we fought what off?" Another brown tabby tom came into the clearing, a shrew dangling from his mouth, which he dropped at the sight of the hawk. "Great StarClan! How did you catch that?"

"To be fair, it was weak and old," Swifthawk admitted. "I snuck up on it and pounced on its back. It tried to bite me, but I got it by the throat!"

"We better get this thing back to camp so the whole Clan can see!" said Flarepelt. She and Swifthawk helped Shadefire carry the giant bird, while the others picked up the other prey and headed for the ThunderClan camp. The hawk made just as much commotion as predicted. The entire Clan came out to see it. Two kits hid and trembled behind their mother, a long-haired light brown she-cat named Heatherbreeze.

"Don't worry, it's dead," Heatherbreeze soothed. "It won't hurt you."

"Are we going to eat it?" One of the kits exclaimed, his little eyes growing huge.

"Yes," said Heatherbreeze with an amused purr.

"Ha! Take that, stupid hawk!" said the she-kit, coming out from behind her mother to make faces towards the slain bird. The ThunderClan deputy, Redwing, who was Swifthawk's father, came over, waving his tail proudly and rubbing his cheek against his son's.

"This will feed the Clan for moons!" he purred.  
"Well, I don't know about moons, but it certainly will for a while," said Swifthawk. He proudly posed over the bird as more cats came to congratulate him.

Lichentail rolled her eyes. Swifthawk was a very skilled warrior, and popular because of it, but personally she didn't care for the way he showed off.

"Not impressed?" Lichentail's former mentor, Foggyheart came up beside her with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"I am, it's just he's so arrogant," Lichentail murmured.

Foggyheart's whiskers twitched. "Yeah, he is, kind of," he admitted with a chuckle. "My sister thinks he's the greatest, but doesn't see that Sunstorm is the one that likes her."

Lichentail looked over to see Foggyheart's sister Icefeather standing not too far away, staring at Swifthawk with dreamy looking eyes.

Lichentail snorted. "Sunstorm's a better cat for her," she said.

"I agree," Foggyheart whispered.

Lichentail purred. Her apprenticeship had ended a few moons ago, but she and Foggyheart still remained close. He seemed to be the only other cat in ThunderClan who didn't think Swifthawk was the greatest.

"What a catch that has been made today!" The leader of ThunderClan, Sapstar, stood proudly on the Highledge, looking down at his Clan with the sun glowing behind him. He was a dark brown cat with beautiful golden spots.

"Swifthawk, you truly are your father's son," said Sapstar. "I have no doubt that you'll be deputy like him one day."

Excited noises and cheers rang through the clearing, except for Lichentail, who winced as Swifthawk stuck his nose up in the air with a cheeky grin. Something about having him as deputy and then possibly leader made her fur stand on end.

"Now, I've got some news to announce to everyone," said Sapstar. "Redwing has reported to me that his patrol picked up WindClan scent inside our territory."

The cheerful voices were suddenly replaced with low growls and hisses.

"Now, the scent was fairly stale, and it seemed there were only a few cats, so it isn't a huge worry," said Sapstar. "But I'd still like some extra patrols along the WindClan border, and I will bring it up at the next Gathering."

"I won't let any of those skinny fleabags into our territory!" said Swifthawk, unsheathing his claws and lashing his tail. "You can count on me!"

The Clan cheered again. Lichentail choked back a laugh, remembering the last battle ThunderClan had with WindClan a few moons ago. Swifthawk had been badly bitten by Olivestar, the WindClan leader, and had screamed like a kit. Of course, most cats seemed to remember Swifthawk's altered account of the story.

Once the excitement had died down, the cats began to tuck into their fresh kill. Lichentail and Foggyheart each chose a sparrow and sat together at the edge of the camp. Several cats gathered around the hawk to share it. Swifthawk walked over to the nursery with a piece of the meat, laying it down before his younger siblings, Gorsekit and Jumpkit.

"How do you like it?" he asked as they took a few cautious bites.

"It's good!" Jumpkit exclaimed.

"Ha, _we're_ eating _it_ now!" Gorsekit laughed.

"You sure are," Swifthawk purred affectionately.

"Well, you have to admit, he's good to his younger siblings," Foggyheart mumbled to Lichentail through a mouthful of sparrow.

Suddenly, to Lichentail's surprise, Swifthawk came walking over to them.

"Hey Lichentail," he said. "Do you want to come and eat with me and the others over by the hawk?"

"Um…" said Lichentail. "Thank you, but I'm comfortable here."

A glimmer of disappointment showed in Swifthawk's golden eyes, but he shrugged and said "Suit yourself."

"What was that all about?" Lichentail shot Foggyheart a confused look.

Foggyheart rolled his eyes. "He likes to flirt with all the females in this Clan."

"Ugh!" Lichentail hissed. "I really hope he doesn't like me."

"Just ignore him if he does, and he'll stop paying attention to you," said Foggyheart.

Later that night, Lichentail lay in the middle of the clearing with Flarepelt, Shadefire, and Flarepelt's brother Sunstorm, staring up at Silverpelt.

"I wonder if any warriors are looking down on us tonight," said Flarepelt.

"I hope my mother is," said Shadefire. "I miss her."

"Do any of you remember Sparkstar, our old leader?" said Sunstorm. "Flarepelt and I were just kits when she died, but I remember her. She had the brightest orange fur!"

Lichentail shook her head. "I'm four moons younger than you two, remember?"

"Oh yeah," said Sunstorm.

"I remember her," said Shadefire. "She was the granddaughter of Firestar. My mother told me stories about him. Did you know he was a kittypet who came to join ThunderClan?"

"What? No way!" Sunstorm laughed. "You're full of it."

"No, it's true," said Shadefire. "He was six moons old when he left his Twolegs and decided to become an apprentice. He became leader when he was still pretty young."

"Boy, that must have been scary," said Flarepelt. "Entering a new world you know nothing about, full of dangers you never imagined."

"I don't think he regretted it for a minute," said Shadefire. "This has got to be a better life than sitting in a Twoleg nest all day eating food that looks and tastes like rabbit droppings."

"How would you know what rabbit droppings taste like, Shadefire?" Sunstorm teased.

Shadefire groaned. "You know what I mean."

"What? Have you eaten rabbit droppings?" Sunstorm purred.

"Shut your mouth!" Shadefire laughed, pouncing playfully on Sunstorm. Flarepelt and Lichentail watched with amusement as the two toms wrestled.

"I have to go use the dirtplace," said Lichentail. "I'll be right back." She padded across the clearing, her pale whitish-gray coat glowing softly in the moonlight. As she approached the dirtplace, she twitched her ears, picking up on bits of conversation from the warrior's den, where several toms were gathered.

"Who would you want to take as a mate?"

"Hmm…I don't know, maybe Flarepelt."

"Ha, you know she only has eyes for Shadefire."

"I think Sleetpaw is really pretty."

"Batfang, she's only an apprentice!"

"Yeah, which is why I can't wait until she becomes a warrior."

Lichentail let out a horrified gasp as laughter rang throughout the den. She shut her mouth quickly, hoping the toms hadn't heard.

"What about you, Swifthawk? You know Icefeather talks about you nonstop."

"Yeah, I know," came Swifthawk's voice. "But I'm not sure I'd take her as a mate. She's kind of mouse brained."

"Then who would you take?"

"Well," said Swifthawk. "To be honest, I really like Lichentail."

Lichentail froze, her claws automatically unsheathing and digging into the ground. Her breath caught in her throat as the other toms crooned and laughed.

"Lichentail's pretty, yeah," Swifthawk's friend Batfang agreed. "But I don't think she's into toms, or having kits. She's all about being a warrior, as if she were a tom."

"Yes, but who can resist her silver coat?" Swifthawk purred. "It glows like the moon! Can you imagine the kits we'd have? They'd be the prettiest in the Clan! And the most talented, since I'd be their father."

Lichentail nearly retched up the sparrow she'd eaten earlier. She hurried for the dirtplace, where she crouched and shivered in the dark tunnel.

_I can't believe how those toms talk_, she thought. _It's like they think we she-cats are playthings!_  
Lichentail slid her claws out again, and raked them through the dirt.

_If Swifthawk thinks he can be my mate, I'll prove him wrong!_


	3. Chapter 2

"Do you think we'll have another battle with WindClan?" Lichentail asked Flarepelt as they walked through the forest. The moon was full and high in the sky, indicating it was time for another Gathering.

Flarepelt shrugged. "If the WindClan cats react with hostility about the stolen prey, then I'd say so."

Lichentail's mind flashed to her first battle as a warrior, which was with WindClan. She'd felt fully alive as she fought on WindClan's territory, the moor wind coursing through her fur, and the blood pumping through her ears. She smirked triumphantly as she remembered slashing at a tom that had Flarepelt pinned down, and after the battle, seeing Foggyheart's blue eyes sparkling with pride at her.

"I can't wait to shred those mange pelts!" That was Batfang, Swifthawk's good friend. The two toms walked up by the she-cats.

"Hey there, Lichentail, how are you tonight?" Swifthawk purred.

"Uh, fine," said Lichentail, inching closer to Flarepelt.

"I bet if we battle WindClan again, you'll do a great job," said Swifthawk, smiling broadly at her. "Last time, you took on a tom twice your size!"

There was something in Swifthawk's deep golden eyes that made Lichentail want to slide out her claws, but she held her ground.

"Thanks, and I'll do it again!" Lichentail sprinted away towards the front of the line of cats, until she was next to Foggyheart.

"Swifthawk's at it again," she whispered in his ear.

"Oh dear," said Foggyheart. "Well like I said, ignore him."

"Was Swifthawk talking to you?" Icefeather walked past, her eyes gleaming with jealousy.

Lichentail shrugged. "Yeah, he's just wishing us all good luck if we have to battle WindClan again."

"No he wasn't!" Icefeather growled. "I saw that look in his eyes as he stared at you."

"Icefeather, leave her alone," said Foggyheart firmly. "She's stressed right now."

Icefeather grunted and marched away, casting a glare over her shoulder at Lichentail.

"Sorry about that," Foggyheart grunted. He slung his tail over Lichentail's shoulders comfortingly. "Don't listen to these mouse brained cats."

Soon they had reached the island where the Gatherings held place. WindClan and RiverClan were already there. Their leaders, Olivestar and Coldstar, were sitting up in the trees, staring down at the new arrivals. Lichentail couldn't help but feel a slight shudder—even though she'd been to a Gathering many times, she couldn't get used to the looming presence of the leaders, who seemed almost like unnatural beings as they watched the crowd below with gleaming eyes. The deputies and medicine cats were gathered around the base of the trees. Rosefall, Flarepelt's sister, followed her mentor Deerpelt over to the medicine cats, and began chatting with a mottled gray cat that looked like a new apprentice.

Sapstar scurried up a tree, heaving himself onto a branch near Olivestar. He showed no anger towards the wiry golden brown tom, keeping himself perfectly expressionless as he balanced himself.

"Where's ShadowClan?" Lichentail heard Burningpaw say. "They're late. Do you think they all died?"

"We couldn't possibly be that blessed," said Swifthawk, earning snickers from several other warriors. Lichentail snorted and sat as close to Foggyheart and Flarepelt as she could. A few moments later, the ShadowClan cats came walking across the log, led by a huge ginger tom, Scorchstar.

"Aw man," said Burningpaw, which got a few more giggles.

"Hush!" snapped Lightstripe, who was Burningpaw's father. He glared at his son and the younger warriors. "The Gathering is about to start."

After Scorchstar had climbed into the trees, a yowl from the eldest leader, Coldstar, signaled everyone to be quiet.

"All is well in RiverClan," he said. "A new litter of kits was just born, and we have a new medicine cat apprentice, Pebblepaw, to be training under Fernlight."

"Pebblepaw! Pebblepaw!" the cats cheered. Up ahead, Pebbelpaw ducked shyly behind the RiverClan medicine cat, a light brown tabby with soft green eyes. She gently nosed her apprentice, murmuring encouraging words to her.

Lichentail purred. Everyone liked Fernlight—she was known by all the Clans for her kind, gentle nature and gorgeous eyes. Pebblepaw was blessed to have her as a mentor.  
Scorchstar went next, but didn't have much to report, other than a few rogues his Clan had driven out. Then Olivestar spoke.

"WindClan has two new warriors, Foxflash and Badgerfang. They are some of the bravest cats I've ever seen, and earned their warrior names after they drove a dog out of our territory!"

"Foxflash! Badgerfang!" the crowd chanted, except most of the ThunderClan cats stayed quiet. Lichentail peered around Foggyheart to see the two new warriors standing in the center of the clearing. One was a lean red tom, and the other was a huge black and white tom. Both of them were grinning and bearing sharp fangs, their eyes glistening. Lichentail's fur bristled.

"Those are some fierce new warriors," Foggyheart mumbled in her ear, sharing her thoughts.

Then it was Sapstar's turn. The ThunderClan warriors tensed up as Sapstar walked to the end of his branch and fixed Olivestar with a hard gaze.

"There is something we need to address, Olivestar," he said calmly. "A few days ago, my warriors scented WindClan scent inside our territory."

The air went still and quiet, and pelts bristled as the ThunderClan and WindClan cats exchanged sudden glares.

"I am sorry," said Olivestar, dipping his head to Sapstar. "I am not aware that any of my warriors went into your territory, but I will tell them to stay out of it. Prey has been scarce lately, but I will make sure my warriors are hunting elsewhere than ThunderClan's territory."

"It better not be our territory," Coldstar growled. Some of the RiverClan cats began to hiss.

"No, it will not," said Olivestar coolly.

"I can tell when a cat is lying," said Scorchstar, narrowing his eyes at Olivestar. "You know about your warriors hunting on ThunderClan's territory, you just don't care."

"This doesn't concern you," Olivestar hissed.

Scorchstar shrugged. "I'm just saying ThunderClan should watch their backs."

"Are you threatening us?" Sapstar growled at Scorchstar.

Scorchstar's dark orange eyes glinted in the moonlight. "Who knows?" he said.

The island became alive with raised hackles and hisses. Burningpaw was staring off with a WindClan apprentice, both lashing their tails and baring their fangs. Suddenly, a shadow was cast over the island. Lichentail looked up to see a large cloud floating in front of the moon.

"That's StarClan's signal for this Gathering to end!" barked Coldstar.

"Any cat that dares tread on our territory will regret it!" Sapstar spat, before scrambling down the tree.

"Come on," said Lightstripe sternly to Burningpaw, who was still hissing at the WindClan apprentice. He grabbed his son by the scruff and pulled him away.

"Don't worry, Burningpaw," said Swifthawk, coming up to his apprentice. "We'll get our claws in those WindClan pelts soon enough."

"We can hear you, you know!" spat a WindClan she-cat.

Lichentail unsheathed her claws as she walked among her Clanmates, curling her lip defiantly at the she-cat.

"That's quite a vicious face for a she-cat!" She jumped as she realized Swifthawk was next to her again.

"Whoa!" he cried as her claws narrowly missed his ear. "Careful there!"

"You startled me during a tense situation," Lichentail hissed.

"I'm impressed, you have the ferocity of a tom," Swifthawk purred. "Those WindClan warriors will fear both you and me."

Lichentail raised away, nearly skidding into Foggyheart and Flarepelt.

"Is there something going on between you and Swifthawk?" Flarepelt asked curiously.

"No," Lichentail spat. "No there is not."


	4. Chapter 3

In the days that passed, ThunderClan prepared for more trouble from WindClan, but there was no scent or sign of them. It appeared that Sapstar's warning had gotten to them, or because it rained heavily for a few days, chilling the warm Newleaf air and keeping the warriors in their dens. Finally, the sun came out again.

"I thought I'd never see the light again," Lichentail purred as she rolled in the soft grass. She and Flarepelt had just gotten back from patrol, and were sitting with Flarepelt's parents, Amberclaw and Oakflower, by the elder's den.

"I can't believe our daughter is a medicine cat," Oakflower purred, watching Rosefall talk with Deerpelt over by the medicine den. "I'm so proud of her."

"Hey, I'm your daughter too, and a warrior," Flarepelt reminded her.

"Oh yes, we are proud of you too," said Amberclaw warmly. "And your brother as well."

"Hey there," said Oakflower suddenly. They turned around to see Burningpaw and Sleetpaw carrying wads of moss dripping with mouse bile.

"Here for apprentice duty?" Oakflower purred.

"Yeah," Burningpaw grumbled. "Okay, either of you got fleas?"

"I think I have some down by my tail," said Oakflower.

Burningpaw pressed the wad of bile against Oakflower's tail, making a disgusted face, while Sleetpaw pulled a tick off of Amberclaw's ear.

"So, Lichentail," said Oakflower. "Flarepelt says that you and Swifthawk have been talking lately."

"N…no," said Lichentail, shooting a surprised glare at Flarepelt. "He…he just likes me, but I don't like him back."

"Why not?" Flarepelt tilted her head to the side. "He seems like a nice cat."

"Yeah, but…I'm not in love with him," said Lichentail. "I just became a warrior, I'm not interested in finding a mate and having kits yet."

As she said that, she heard a screeching wail come up from the nursery, and saw Heatherbreeze carrying Jumpkit in by the scruff. The little ginger kit kicked his legs and screamed, "I don't want to take a nap!"

"I don't either!" Gorsekit whined.

"You two have been driving me insane all day, so you are both taking a nap, and that's final!" Heatherbreeze snapped.

"No!" Gorsekit flung herself down in the grass. "I won't! You can't make me!"

Lichentail looked back at her friends. "Can you see why I don't want kits?"

Oakflower let out an amused purr. "They can be work. I raised three kits. Flarepelt and Sunstorm always wanted to wrestle with each other, even before they opened their eyes."

"But they really are a blessing," said Amberclaw. "It's worth it to see them grow up into apprentices, and then into warriors."

Lichentail turned her head as she heard cats coming into the clearing. The latest hunting patrol was back—among them were her own parents, Silverlily and Stonestorm.

"Oh, they're back," said Lichentail, standing up and hurrying across the clearing, grateful to have an excuse to end the conversation.

"Hey, Lichentail!" Silverlily purred as she dropped a mouse on the fresh kill pile. "How was your day?"

"Not very eventful," said Lichentail. "But it's nice to be out after so many rainy days."

Lichentail and her parents each took a piece of fresh kill and lay in a shady spot together. As they were eating, a group of warriors passed by, including Swifthawk, who winked at Lichentail. Lichentail nearly spat out her food in disgust.

"Lichentail seems to really like you," said Silverlily.

"I can tell," Lichentail growled.

"Do you not like him?" Stonestorm asked.

"Not really," said Lichentail. "I just became a warrior. I don't want to rush into finding a mate."

"You know, I fell in love with your father when I was about your age," said Silverlily.

"Well, I'm not you," Lichentail retorted.

"Can you imagine if Swifthawk became deputy?" Silverlily went on, ignoring Lichentail. "If you had kits, you'd have the deputy's kits!"

"So?" Lichentail snorted.

Silverlily narrowed her eyes. "You don't think that sounds wonderful?"

"I'd rather choke on crowfood than mate with Swifthawk," Lichentail growled.

"Don't use such harsh language!" Silverlily scolded. "Swifthawk is much better quality than a lot of the toms here. Do you know how disrespectful Batfang used to be to his mother as a kit? But Swifthawk treats his younger siblings as if they were his own kits."

"I'm sure you'll find your mate when the time is right," said Stonestorm, blinking warmly at his daughter. "You're very young, and you have time to do everything you want."

Lichentail sent her father a thankful glance. Silverlily opened her mouth again, as if to argue, when a loud yowl rang out. Suddenly, Lightstripe came racing into the camp, crying out, "WindClan is on our territory!"

Everyone stood up and listened as Sapstar came out of his den and sprang down from the Highledge. Redwing came over to join him and Lightstripe, lashing his tail. "Where are they?" the deputy hissed.

"It was a huge gang of them, near the tunnels! The new warriors, Foxflash and Badgerfang, jumped us…and the deputy was leading them!" Lightstripe panted. Lichentail was startled to realize he was bleeding from a scratch on his shoulder. "They attacked us! Foggyheart, Duskfeather, and Icefeather are fighting them, but we're outnumbered! They told me to get help!"

Lichentail gasped at the mention of her former mentor. She immediately ran over to where the senior warriors were, crying out, "Can I go? I have to help Foggyheart!"

Sapstar nodded. "Okay, listen up! If I call your name, line up by the entrance!"

Besides Redwing, Lightstripe, and Lichentail, Sapstar chose Stonestorm, Shadefire, Flarepelt, and Sunstorm to join the attack. The rest were ordered to guard the camp. Lichentail felt a great sense of relief when Sapstar did not pick Swifthawk to come with them, but she still clawed at the ground impatiently, her chest tight with anxiety for Foggyheart. He was a skilled warrior, but Foxflash and Badgerfang's vicious faces flashed into Lichentail's mind.

"Alright, let's head out!" Sapstar ordered. They raced through the thorn tunnel leading out of the camp and hurried out towards the moor. Blood roared in Lichentail's ears as she ran, her father and Flarepelt at her side.

"Be safe!" Stonestorm panted. "I know you'll do well!"

"You too!" Lichentail replied.

It wasn't long before they heard the enraged screeching and yowls of fighting cats. When they came to the edge of ThunderClan's territory, where the trees thinned out into moorland, they caught sight of flashing claws and bloody pelts. Lichentail looked around for Foggyheart, but couldn't see him.

"Slickpelt!" Redwing went charging right for the WindClan deputy, a greasy furred gray tom who had Duskfeather pinned down. He knocked him off his paws, and the two deputies rolled away in a whirl of fangs and claws. Meanwhile, Sunstorm went for a tom who was clawing at Icefeather. Lichentail suddenly spotted Foggyheart. With a jolt, she realized he was bleeding heavily from the mouth and ear, and panting. Foxflash and Badgerfang had him cornered against a boulder, sneering at him.

"No!" Lichentail threw herself at Foxflash and latched onto his back. The red tom yowled and spun around, flinging her off. Lichentail tumbled over in the grass and splayed out on her side. Foxflash sprang over and raked his claws down her side. She screeched as red hot pain flashed through her, and blood sprayed up into the air. She tried to get up, but Foxflash held her down.

"You're not going anywhere," he sneered, his claws digging into Lichentail's shoulder and his hot, stinky breath airing into her face. Suddenly, he was knocked off his paws. Lichentail got to hers and saw that Foggyheart and Foxflash were fighting, both reared up on their hind legs and swiping at each other with their forepaws. Foggyheart caught Foxflash under the eye with his claws. The red tom screeched and staggered backwards, but then all of a sudden, the huge Badgerfang came out of nowhere and bowled Foggyheart over.

"No!" Lichentail tried again. She sprang at Badgerfang, but was intercepted by a brown tabby. The tom rolled her over in the dirt, and grabbed ahold of her throat. Lichentail reached out with her hind legs and clawed at a gash in the tom's belly. He yowled and let go, and then Lichentail slammed her head into his chin, sending him flying. 

She jumped up, and sprinted back over towards Foggyheart. With a jolt of terror, she realized she couldn't see him under the writhing bodies of Foxflash and Badgerfang. Then, Foxflash reared back his head and turned to her with a nasty grin. His muzzle was soaked in blood. Badgerfang stepped back to reveal Foggyheart lying limply in the grass, a large gash torn in his throat.


	5. Chapter 4

Lichentail heard a terrifying, almost unnatural screeching cry as she flung herself at Foxflash. It took a moment to realize it was coming from her own throat. She crashed into the red tom, sending him rolling. She went straight for his throat, but he swiftly tore a chunk from her ear. As Lichentail was immobilized by pain, Foxflash pinned her down.

"Say hello to your friend for me," he sneered, yellow eyes glinting, until suddenly he was knocked off his paws. Lichentail gasped to see Stonestorm writhing on the ground with Foxflash. Her father pinned the smaller tom down and grabbed his throat in his jaws. Foxflash let out a raspy, choking gasp.

"Do you want to breathe again?" Stonestorm snarled through a mouthful of fur. "Then get out of our territory."

He let Foxflash go. The red tom jumped to his paws and fled towards the moor, over towards the gaping entrances to the tunnels connecting WindClan and ThunderClan. Lichentail went straight after him. She wasn't going to let him get away, he had to die…

Stonestorm stood in her way. "Let him go, Lichentail!" he said.

"He…he killed Foggyheart!" Lichentail wailed.

"That doesn't mean we should stoop to his level," said Stonestorm.

Suddenly, Badgerfang went racing past them, as Flarepelt and Shadefire clawed at his flanks.

"RETREAT!" Slickpelt yowled, and more WindClan cats went racing away, their blood spraying across the short grass as they ran, disappearing into the shadows of the tunnels.

"We won!" Sunstorm yowled.

Lichentail turned around and staggered towards Foggyheart, the pain in her ear and side almost unbearable. Stonestorm tried to get her to lean on him for support, but she shoved him away, hobbling towards the body of her mentor.

It can't be true…he can't be gone…I must have been seeing things…

But when she approached, she saw what she'd seen before, but refused to believe. Foggyheart was lying there, with a pool of blood spreading out from a deep gash in his throat. His blue eyes stared blankly ahead, his teeth and claws still bared.

"Foggyheart," said Lichentail in a barely audible voice. "Foggyheart, no. Don't do this to me. Don't leave me."

Other warriors were suddenly noticing Foggyheart's dead body. Icefeather, his sister, threw back her head and let out a chilling wail.

"Oh…oh Lichentail…" Flarepelt gasped.

Lichentail threw herself on top of her mentor, burying her face into his fur.

"Foggyheart!" she sobbed. "Foggyheart, don't leave me, please!"

She felt her father's chin on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Lichentail," he soothed. "But he's gone. He walks with StarClan now."

"They murdered him!" Lichentail wailed. "How could they?"

"I know," said Stonestorm, licking his daughter's ears tenderly. "It isn't fair. But we have to get his body back to camp now. Let's go take him home."

Stonestorm and Lichentail carried Foggyheart's body in between them. Icefeather walked beside them, whimpering and nuzzling her brother's face. Hot blood from Foggyheart's throat dripped down Lichentail's shoulder and trickled down her foreleg, but she hardly noticed. Her mind was filled with white fog. Flarepelt and Shadefire stayed close to them, casting sad, sympathetic looks at Lichentail. Sapstar and Redwing went ahead and entered the camp first, to tell the Clan what had happened. When they arrived, everyone was gathered around, gasping in horror at the sight of their slain Clanmate.

"Those foxhearted brutes!" Swifthawk yowled from in the crowd. "They'll pay for this!"

Lichentail was barely aware of the rest of the day playing out. She sat by Foggyheart's body the whole time, helping the elders and Icefeather brush his coat with rosemary and other herbs, but the reeking scent of blood was still there. She didn't know how long she sat there, with her face buried in Foggyheart's gray and white fur. She lost herself in her memories—Foggyheart taking her out into the forest for the first time as an apprentice, praising her when she caught her first prey, keeping her close to him when a ShadowClan patrol attacked the ThunderClan camp, comforting her afterwards, and then moons later, the two of them fighting an enemy cat together and being victorious. Then there were times in between training, where they relaxed in the sun together, or play fought, and teased each other. Foggyheart hadn't just been her mentor…he'd been her best friend. And now he was gone.

"Lichentail." That was Silverlily, talking to her gently. "It's time to bury him."

Lichentail helped the senior warriors carry his body out of the camp. She felt as though she were in a dream as she watched Foggyheart's body being lowered into a shallow hole in the ground, then disappear forever under a wave of dirt. She sat down next to the grave, staring at the dirt. The other cats tried to get her to leave, but she wouldn't. She stayed out until the moon was high in the sky. Silverlily and Stonestorm finally came and coaxed her back into camp. She fell asleep in the warrior's den curled up between her parents, fitfully dreaming of a star filled sky, and Foggyheart running freely through it.

"Hey, Lichentail."

Lichentail looked up from the shrew she was trying to eat. She hadn't been able to get anything down since the battle yesterday. Silverlily finally insisted that she eat something, and was sitting and watching to make sure she did. Standing above her was Swifthawk.

"I'm really sorry about Foggyheart." He brushed his tail along her flank. "I know how much he meant to you. We're going to get those foxhearts back for killing him, I promise."

Lichentail blinked, for once touched by Swifthawk's words. "Thanks," she said softly.

Swifthawk padded away, and Silverlily smiled. "See? He really is nice," she said.

Silverlily ignored her and took a mouthful of crow. She sank her teeth deep into its flesh, imagining it was Foxflash's throat.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around for a Clan meeting!" Sapstar called from the Highledege.

Lichentail took one last bite of her crow, and then walked with Silverlily to the crowd forming under the Highledge.

"I want to go to the meeting too!" Jumpkit cried, racing over from the nursery. He wailed in protest as Heatherbreeze grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and carried him away, and then reached out a paw to stop Gorsekit from running away as well.

Lichentail grunted, once again not envying Heatherbreeze. She looked up at the Highledge where Sapstar was speaking.

"WindClan has done us a great injustice, walking into our territory and murdering one of our warriors!" he spoke. "They are not acting like Clan cats, but we will remind them of the warrior code!"

Yowls rang around everywhere, with Lichentail joining in, yelling "Foggyheart!"

"We are going to increase patrols along the WindClan border, with double the amount of warriors as usual, about four or five a day," said Sapstar. "Hopefully they've learned their lesson, but we'll see."

Sapstar then organized a patrol to head out right away. Lichentail was among those chosen, as well as Swifthawk. But she didn't care this time—she hoped one of those WindClan brutes would show themselves, and she could sink her claws into them.

They walked past the area where the battle had been—tufts of fur and blood were still everywhere, and the WindClan scent was stale. It seemed as though patrols were staying clear of that area. Lichentail let out a quiet hiss, feeling disappointed. She was dying to slash at one of those mangy beasts.

"Well, since it doesn't seem like they're here, why don't we hunt?" suggested Redwing, who was leading the patrol.

At least Lichentail could take her fury out on the prey. She stalked the scent of a rabbit that had wandered over the ThunderClan border, into the thick cover of the trees.

"What are you tracking?" Swifthawk's voice made her jump. She whirled around to face him and hissed. "Can't you see I'm hunting?"

"Well maybe I can help," said Swifthawk. "You've been so sad lately. I thought maybe you wanted some company."

"I'm fine," said Lichentail through gritted teeth. "Go away."

"I know you're upset about Foggyheart," said Swifthawk, ignoring her request. "It's like I said, we'll…"

Lichentail lashed out with her claws and caught the tip of Swifthawk's ear. He yelped as a tiny bead of blood welled up from it. He narrowed his golden eyes and growled...for one moment Lichentail braced for him to attack, but then he turned and sprinted away, joining Batfang and Sunstorm.

"What happened to you?" Lichentail heard Sunstorm ask.

"I got rejected," Swifthawk replied.

Murmurs of sympathy came from Sunstorm and Batfang. Lichentail bared her fangs in fury as she continued to follow the rabbit trail. Why did everyone like this piece of fox dung?


	6. Chapter 5

Lichentail sprang from a clump of ferns, landing squarely on a thrush. The bird squawked as Lichentail crushed its throat with her claws.

"Nice, Lichentail!" Flarepelt came running over, a mouse dangling from her jaws. She put it down and narrowed her eyes at it. "All I've been able to find today are these stupid tiny things."

Lichentail licked the blood from her claws, wishing it were the blood of Foxflash or Badgerfang. It had been half a moon since they'd killed Foggyheart, but there hadn't been any sign of WindClan since.

"So, I've got some news to tell you," said Flarepelt, lowering her voice.

"Oh no," Lichentail gasped. "What is it?"

"No, no, it's good news!" said Flarepelt. She paused for a moment, then whispered, "Last night, Shadefire told me he loved me…and I told him I loved him too."

Lichentail gasped, this time happily. "Oh, Flarepelt, that's amazing!"

"I know," said Flarepelt. She quivered slightly. "It's exciting, but….I'm kind of nervous, you know? The rest of the Clan doesn't seem to know yet. I guess I'll tell my parents next."

"Flarepelt." Lichentail rolled her eyes. "Everyone knows already. You two spend every moment together!"

"Oh…uh, I guess that's true," said Flarepelt.

"Shadefire is great," Lichentail agreed.

"Yes, he is," Flarepelt purred. "I don't think we'll be having kits for a while though. We're still pretty young."

"I'm happy for you," Lichentail purred back, touching her tail tip to her friend's.

"What about you and Swifthawk?" Flarepelt asked. "How are things going between you two?"

Lichentail's brief good mood disappeared as suddenly as it went. She scowled at Flarepelt. "We're not a couple," she growled.

"Oh…I'm sorry. I thought you were," said Flarepelt.

"Did you not hear that I scratched his ear when he wouldn't leave me alone during a hunt?" Lichentail hissed. "He hasn't talked to me since."

"I'm sorry," said Flarepelt, lowering her head. "I understand. I'm sorry that happened, I didn't know."

"It's okay." Lichentail gave her friend a forgiving lick. "It's not your fault. He seemed to have everyone convinced I liked him back."

"Well, I'm glad he's leaving you alone now," said Flarepelt. "Oh! I just remembered, Shadefire wanted to show me a battle move. I'll see you later, okay?"

"See you," said Lichentail as her friend disappeared into the bushes. She buried her thrush, and then followed the trail of a squirrel. Greenleaf had arrived early—the leaves were nice and lush, casting the forest in green, dappled shadows. Lichentail followed the trail deep into the forest, where the trees became thick and the ground was cool and shady. It felt great, since it had been quite hot lately. Lichentail saw the squirrel's fluffy tail disappear behind a bush. She crept forward, trying to keep weight off her paws. Suddenly, she heard a twig snap behind her. She whirled around, but saw nothing there.

"Hello?" she called. "Who's there?"

No one answered. Lichentail turned back to the trail, hoping the noise hadn't scared the squirrel away. She peered around the bush, and to her relief, the creature was there, nibbling at an acorn. She sprang, landed on the squirrel, and bit its neck.

"Nice catch!"

Lichentail dropped the squirrel and twisted around to see Swifthawk just a tail length away.

"What are you doing here?" she cried. "Have you been following me?"

Swifthawk shrugged.

"That's creepy!" Lichentail spat. "If you don't leave me alone, I'll tell Redwing you're stalking me!"

"Do you think he'll believe you?" Swifthawk narrowed his eyes. "I'm his son. He'll take my word over yours."

"Get away from me!" Lichentail turned and ran, forgetting her squirrel. She heard Swifthawk's heavy pawsteps thundering behind her. She put on speed, flattening her body to the ground as she headed for the ThunderClan camp. She opened her jaws to cry for help, but suddenly felt a heavy weight drop on her. She rolled in the dirt, clawing at Swifthawk, but he had his forelegs wrapped tightly around her neck and wouldn't let go. She tried to bite him, but he kicked her in the side, where her slashes from the last battle were still healing, and she collapsed on her stomach. Swifthawk straddled her with his hind legs, his forelegs still wrapped around her neck. Lichentail tried to bite him, but he pressed her face down into a thick clump of grass. She cried out for help, but it was muffled.

"Listen to me." Swifthawk's hot breath stirred Lichentail's ear fur. "You are mine. I will be deputy someday, and then leader, so I will get what I want."

He grabbed her scruff in his teeth, forcing her muscles to relax. She whimpered helplessly as her legs went limp.

Lichentail didn't know how long it lasted for. Regardless, it seemed to go on forever. She refused to process what was going on, even though in the corner of her mind, she knew. She breathed in the sweet, dewy scent of the grass, trying to keep herself calm.

Finally, it was over. She didn't even realize at first, until Swifthawk released her and she fell over on her side, letting out a gasp. She felt as though she'd just been pulled out of deep, cold water. The slashes on her side burned, and were bleeding once more.

"Are you alright?" He leaned his face into hers.

"Get away from me!" He jumped back just before she clawed his face.

"Okay, okay," said Swifthawk. He stepped a ways back, then sat and groomed his chest fur.

How can he just act like nothing happened? Lichentail laid there, staring at him in horror.

"We both smell terrible," said Swifthawk. "I know some flowers we can roll in to mask this scent."

Lichentail didn't know what to say. She just nodded. She wanted to claw his fur off, but she felt too exhausted to move…as well as a very odd, resigned feeling she didn't understand. Swifthawk nosed her to her feet, and she let him lead her to a patch of lavender in a patch of sunlight. Swifthawk threw himself in them and rolled around, purring delightedly. Lichentail followed, surprised at how wonderful these flowers smelled up close, and was grateful for the beam of sunlight warming her coat.

Then, they walked back to camp. Lichentail had forgotten about the kills she'd buried. She watched as Swithawk killed a raven, feeling dizzy and dreamlike. As they got nearer to the camp, Swifthawk suddenly snarled in her ear, "Don't bother telling anyone what happened. They won't believe you." Then, he went ahead of her, walking through the camp entrance with his raven clutched in his jaws, leaving her all alone.

"Lichentail!" She looked over her shoulder to see Flarepelt and Shadefire coming up behind her.

"You were with Swifthawk?" Flarepelt asked confusedly.

Lichentail shrugged. "He was just helping me hunt."

Flarepelt exchanged glances with Shadefire. Both their eyes seemed to sparkle.

"Oh, yes, of course," Flarepelt purred. Lichentail's heart sank.

"Didn't you have fresh kill, though?" Flarepelt asked.

"Oh…I forgot about it," said Lichentail. "I'll go back for it."

"Are you okay?" Shadefire asked. "You don't look so good."

"I…I think I ate a bad squirrel this morning," said Lichentail. "My stomach's starting to hurt."

Flarepelt gasped. "You're bleeding!"

"Oh!" Lichentail pretended to notice the blood on her side for the first time, and lapped at it. "I think scratched my side on a tree branch," she lied.

"You should go see Deerpelt or Rosefall after you retrieve your prey," said Flarepelt.

"Of course," Lichentail mumbled. She then headed off into the woods, trying to retrace her steps, but she was wobbly on her paws and felt disoriented. She eventually found the squirrel, which was being picked apart by crows. She didn't have the energy to chase them off. She wandered past the area where it had happened…it still had a distinct smell to it. Lichentail lurched forward and vomited into the grass. She gagged as the liquid burned her throat and mouth. She staggered on ahead, eventually finding the thrush. Earlier it smelled delicious, but now the scent of food made her gag. She picked up the thrush and carried it home, giving that one area a very wide berth. When she finally reached the camp, she stumbled through the entrance.

"Whoa!" Stonestorm was there, and caught her with his shoulder as she fell. "Are you okay?"

"I don't feel good," Lichentail moaned. "My…stomach hurts."

"Let's get you to the medicine den." Stonestorm's deep, gentle voice lulled her as he walked her over there. She pressed her muzzle into her father's warm shoulder. Deerpelt met them at the entrance, and she was led inside and onto a bed of moss. She was vaguely aware of Deerpelt and Rosefall asking her questions, but she didn't care. She wanted to die.


	7. Chapter 6

Lichentail lay there for a long time, unresponsive as Deerpelt and Rosefall rubbed herbs on her hurt side and got her to eat watermint to soothe her stomach. She chewed them bitterly, knowing they would do nothing.

"Lichentail?" Rosefall asked gently. "Can you talk to us?"

Lichentail grunted.

"Okay, when did you start to feel bad?"

"As I was coming back from my hunt. I think the squirrel I ate yesterday was bad," murmured Lichentail. "It tasted weird."

"Okay then," said Rosefall. "What about the blood on your side?"

"I scratched it on a tree branch where Foxflash clawed me," Lichentail replied.

Suddenly, Deerpelt got up and went to the entrance of the den. Lichentail shuddered as she suddenly heard Swifthawk's voice.

"Is Lichentail okay? What's wrong with her?"

"She has a bad stomachache," Deerpelt replied. "We're taking care of her, don't worry."

"Can I come in?"

"No, we're busy," Deerpelt snapped.

Lichentail sighed with relief as she heard Swifthawk pad away, for once grateful for the older she-cat's strict attitude. She stayed in the mossy bed for the rest of the day, unwilling to talk to anyone, not even her parents when they came to see her. She shared tongues with them briefly, but remained silent. As night fell outside, Rosefall and Deerpelt looked her over again.

"Is the watermint helping any?" Deerpelt asked.

"Somewhat," Lichentail murmured. "I'm still in pain."

Deerpelt narrowed her eyes, as if she suspected Lichentail wasn't telling the truth.

Rosefall touched her nose to her pelt. "That's odd, she doesn't have a fever," she said to Deerpelt.

"Well, let's keep an eye on her tonight and see how she is in the morning," said Deerpelt.

Lichentail closed her eyes, wishing she could just sleep forever. She didn't want to see or hear Swifthawk ever again.

_Oh Foggyheart…I wish you were here…_she thought.

The next morning, Lichentail felt slightly more clearheaded, although she told the medicine cats that her stomach still hurt. They got her to eat more watermint, and offered her water and a mouse. She drank the water, but refused the mouse. She just wanted to stay in the cool, shady medicine den, away from Swifthawk, for as long as she could. But she knew she couldn't stay in there forever. Lichentail took a nap and dozed fitfully. Swifthawk's face flashed in and out of her mind.

"You're _mine_," his voice whispered into her ear once more.

Lichentail woke up with a shriek.

"Are you okay?" Rosefall came hurrying over to her.

"Yeah…I just had a bad dream," Lichentail replied.

"Hey, Rosefall!" Lichentail froze as she heard his voice once more.

"Lichentail is okay, don't worry!" Rosefall called back.

"Can I see her?"

Rosefall looked to Lichentail, who shook her head. Lichentail let out a sigh of relief as Rosefall nodded, and then called back, "She's not in the mood for visitors, sorry!"

Rosefall stroked Lichentail's side with her tail, saying, "He's been asking multiple times how you are. He's really worried about you."

For the first time, Lichentail wondered if what Swifthawk really said to her was true…if no one would believe her if she told them what happened. How would Redwing react if he knew what his son had done to her? Would he punish Swifthawk, or would he blame her? She couldn't imagine Sapstar announcing Swifthawk's deed to the entire Clan, telling everybody publicly what they did in the forest…if he even thought that was worth announcing. He'd probably just give Swifthawk a stern talking to, but maybe her too. Did this happen all the time to she-cats, and they were supposed to just say nothing? She didn't know the rules, and she was too scared to ask.

Lichentail unsheathed her claws. Whatever the rules, she wanted to kill him. If she could just get him alone…but she knew that wouldn't work. He was twice her size, and had already overpowered her before.

At sunset, she finally left the den. Her parents and Flarepelt came running over to her, asking her if she was okay, and did she need anything? Thankfully, Swifthawk was on patrol. Lichentail chose a mouse from the fresh kill pile, and sat down to eat with her parents.

"Thank Star Clan your appetite is back," purred Stonestorm. "We were worried. Deerpelt said it could be something serious."

"Yeah, I guess I just needed to wait for it to pass," said Lichentail. She held back a gasp as she saw the patrol return, and Swifthawk came racing over to her.

"Are you okay, Lichentail?" he gasped.

"Yes. I'm fine," she said curtly.

"Oh, thank StarClan! I'm sorry I didn't realize something was wrong when we were out hunting, you should have told me!" he exclaimed.

_You fox hearted piece of mouse dung, I should shred you._

Lichentail resisted the urge to unsheathe her claws, and just muttered, "Sorry," before taking another bite of mouse.

Mercifully, Swifthawk walked away after that. Silverlily purred. "He was so worried about you. He kept pacing around near the medicine den, until Redwing made him go on patrol!"

Lichentail nearly vomited up her mouse.

"Are you okay?" Stonestorm gasped.

"Yeah…it's just hard to eat," said Lichentail. She passed the rest of the mouse to her father. "Here, you can finish it, I'm going to sleep."

Lichentail hurried off to the warrior's den, ignoring their questions. She lay down at the entrance, watching the camp from afar. Everyone seemed so happy and peaceful, sitting together and sharing tongues and laughing. Flarepelt and Shadefire were playfully wrestling as Sunstorm and Icefeather cheered them on. Lichentail's heart sank into her stomach. She envied them so much right now.

Over by the nursery, Swifthawk was playing with Gorsekit and Jumpkit. He let the kits jump on him, stomping around and pretending to be a badger, as they squealed with laughter. Heatherbreeze watched them with a loving gaze.

How would his mother react if she knew? What if Gorsekit and Jumpkit knew?

She couldn't imagine telling any of these cats the truth. How would they ever believe that their beloved warrior made her feel so scared, helpless, and ashamed? The only cat who would have listened was Foggyheart.

_Oh, I miss you…_she thought once more as she drifted off to sleep.


	8. Chapter 7

"Hey, Lichentail, you okay?"

Lichentail opened her eyes to see the white face of Sleetpaw peering into the warrior's den.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said.

"Oh…okay. Sunstorm is telling a really funny story if you want to come hear."

Lichentail sighed as Sleetpaw scampered away. It had been a half moon since the incident, and even though Swifthawk had been busy lately and not paid much attention to her, she wasn't feeling any better. In fact, she was starting to feel worse. She was oddly sleepy and had little energy. She struggled to keep up on patrols, and curled up for naps in between her duties. She hadn't even felt like hanging out with her friends. Flarepelt and Shadefire were too distracted by each other to notice. She felt betrayed. Right now, most of the Clan was off at a Gathering. She could hear Sunstorm and a few others off in the distance laughing. Lichentail got to her paws and stretched. She figured she'd go listen to the funny story—she needed a laugh.

Lichentail lumbered across the camp to see Sunstorm talking to Sleetpaw and Icefeather. Lightstripe and Duskfeather stood guard at the entrance to the camp. Lichentail sat down next to Sleetpaw as Sunstorm finished his story.

"And the ShadowClan warrior literally peed himself as he ran away!" he exclaimed.

Sleetpaw laughed so hard she fell over. Icefeather let out a loud purr. She was sitting next to Sunstorm—it seemed that ever since he'd helped her out in the battle, she'd shifted her attention from Swifthawk to him.

Good. Stay away from Swifthawk.

"Oh, hey Lichentail," said Sunstorm. "I didn't see you there."

"I just woke up," she said.

"Are you okay? You seem awfully sleepy lately," said Sleetpaw.

"Yeah, I just…I just really miss Foggyheart, I guess," said Lichentail.

The other cats let out low, sympathetic noises.

"We all miss him," said Sunstorm. "He could tell even better stories than me."

"He was the best brother I could have asked for," Icefeather sighed. "I still remember the first time we left the nursery as kits. I was scared, but he told me not to be afraid."

I wish I could stop feeling afraid, Lichentail thought. I need Foggyheart right now.

Suddenly, the thundering of multiple paws indicated that the cats from the Gathering had returned. She immediately noticed an air of tension as they all came down the stone path.

"How was it?" Lightstripe asked.

"Olivestar completely denied that a battle happened!" Sapstar spat.

"What?" Lichentail shrieked, getting to her paws. She hissed and lashed her tail, as the cats beside her bristled.

"He said I didn't know what I was talking about. That smug, arrogant, piece of…" Sapstar caught himself, then said, "We are going back to double patrols along the WindClan border, starting at dawn."

"Did the other Clans believe you?" Lightstripe asked.

"Coldstar did, but RiverClan has its own problems to deal with right now," Redwing told him. "He told Olivestar to stop being a liar, though. Scorchstar tried to get Sapstar and Olivestar to fight. I don't see how he became a leader—he acts like a kit!"

"I wanted to see them fight!" Burningpaw pouted.

"Yeah, and have the whole island erupt into a battle? I don't think so," said Swifthawk.

For once, you're making sense, Lichentail growled in her head.

At dawn, Lichentail was chosen to go on patrol. Swifthawk was also chosen, but so were Stonestorm and Silverlily, so she felt safe. Lightstripe, Burningpaw, Sunstorm, and Sleetpaw also went.

"Do you think we brought enough cats?" Stonestorm chuckled.

"Yeah! If I Twigpaw from WindClan again, I'm gonna beat him up!" Burningpaw quipped.

"Only if he attacks first," Lightstripe sternly reminded him.

"I hope we won't run into them." Sleetpaw stayed close to her mentor, Sunstorm. "They sound scary."

"I won't let them hurt you!" Burningpaw promised. "I'm the fastest cat in this Clan! They'll never see me coming!"

At that moment, Burningpaw walked right into a huge boulder, causing everyone to burst out laughing. Even Lichentail couldn't help herself.

"What?" Burningpaw snapped. "If this boulder were a cat, I would have shredded it by now!"

Lichentail laughed again, and suddenly felt a spasm of pain in her stomach, causing her to stumble.

"Are you okay, Lichentail?" Silverlily asked.

"Yeah, why?" said Lichentail.

"You winced and stumbled," said Silverlily. "Is something the matter?"

"Yeah, my stomach just hurts again," she said.

Silverlily frowned. "You should go back to camp and see Deerpelt."

"I'm fine," said Lichentail. "I want to finish the patrol, then I'll see her if it gets worse."

"What's going on?" Swifthawk pushed his way to the front of the crowd.

"Nothing," Lichentail snapped. "Let's keep moving."

They traveled up and down the WindClan border twice, but remained unchallenged. Lichentail was out of breath by the time they returned to camp. She wasn't used to doing double the distance on patrols, she guessed. As she reached the bottom of the stone slope, another spasm of pain wracked her stomach. Gritting her teeth, she headed for the medicine den. Deerpelt was just outside, sorting herbs.

"Oh, Lichentail," she said. "Do you need something?"

"Yeah, my stomach hurts again," said Lichentail.

Deerpelt frowned, then beckoned with her tail for Lichentail to follow her into her den.

"Everything okay?" Rosefall asked as Deerpelt fetched her some watermint leaves.

"My stomach hurts again," said Lichentail. "I've been feeling weird lately…like I'm bloated, and don't have much energy."

"Hmm," said Deerpelt, as she came back with the watermint leaves. She laid them down and then said, "Lichentail, can you lay on your side? I want to listen to your stomach."

Lichentail obeyed, although she didn't see how this would help. Deerpelt pressed her ear to her stomach.

"What are you listening for?" Lichentail asked.

"Shh!" Deerpelt snapped. She listened for a few more moments, and then stepped back with a wry smile on her face.

"Well, what did you hear?" asked Lichentail.

Deerpelt exchanged a quick glance with Rosefall, whose mouth fell open slightly.

"What's wrong with me?" Lichentail hissed.

"Nothing," said Deerpelt. "You're expecting kits."


End file.
